Assassin’s Creed Shadows online co-op project reportedly cancelled

Assassin’s Creed Shadows online co-op has reportedly been cancelled, marking another setback in what has been a challening period for Ubisoft. According to reports from French outlet Origami, later picked up by international media, the project was internally known as AC League and was being developed at Ubisoft Annecy. Sources claim the game was initially designed as downloadable content for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, before plans shifted and the project was ultimately closed altogether.

Originally planned as a story-driven co-op expansion

The cancelled Assassin’s Creed Shadows online co-op experience was initially designed as a four-player cooperative mode built directly into the core game. The concept reportedly focused on four assassins working together across specially designed missions that expanded on the main storyline. Internally, the mode was meant to serve as a narrative conclusion tied to the game’s season pass, offering players additional story content after finishing the single-player campaign. Unlike earlier multiplayer experiments in the franchise, this project was said to place a stronger emphasis on narrative cohesion and integration with the game world.

Development plans reportedly changed following internal discussions at Ubisoft Annecy. Studio leadership is said to have expressed concerns about attaching the project too closely to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, particularly due to long development timelines and uncertainty surrounding post-launch support. As a result, AC League was reworked into a standalone online title that reused portions of Shadows’ map while introducing new systems specifically designed for cooperative gameplay.

Standalone version and cancelled alpha plans

Sources claim an invite-only alpha test was planned for as early as May, suggesting the project had progressed beyond early prototyping stages. Despite this progress, Assassin’s Creed Shadows online co-op was reportedly cancelled late in development, with Ubisoft Annecy staff allegedly informed of the decision only recently.

Cancellation tied to broader Ubisoft restructuring

While Ubisoft has not officially commented on the situation, the cancellation appears to align with broader restructuring and cost-cutting measures across the company. In recent months, Ubisoft has cancelled multiple projects and discussed potential job cuts, including reports of up to 200 positions being affected at its Paris headquarters. The decision to cancel AC League fits into a wider pattern of internal consolidation rather than expansion.

According to Origami, some developers at Ubisoft Annecy have since been reassigned to apply the technical work created for Assassin’s Creed Shadows online co-op to future projects. These tools and systems are reportedly intended to make it easier to integrate multiplayer functionality into upcoming Assassin’s Creed titles. However, not all team members were reassigned, leaving some developers without a clear next project and contributing to growing uncertainty within the studio.

What this means for Assassin’s Creed Shadows players

For players, the cancellation means Assassin’s Creed Shadows will remain focused entirely on its single-player experience, with no confirmed cooperative or online modes planned at this time. Fans who hoped the game would introduce a more modern co-op structure similar to other live-service titles may be disappointed. The Assassin’s Creed franchise has a mixed history with multiplayer features, and the reported shelving of this project suggests Ubisoft may be reassessing how online components fit into the series moving forward.

The reported cancellation of Assassin’s Creed Shadows online co-op is not an isolated case, but part of a broader shift within Ubisoft’s current strategy. With several projects cancelled and teams restructured, the publisher appears to be entering a phase of consolidation. Whether this approach will stabilize development and restore confidence among both developers and players remains to be seen, but for now, AC League stands as another ambitious Assassin’s Creed project that will never reach release.